Dramaturgy

(4 Credits)

A typical job description for dramaturgs tends to promote them as "guardians of the text" or champions of the ideas in a theatrical production. More prosaically, a dramaturg is to a play what an auto mechanic is to a car: he may not have built it, but he knows what drives it and how to make it hum. Editor, critic, interpreter, scholar, historian, sleuth, facilitator, midwife, web geek, theorist, visionary - the dramaturg above all is a collaborator who works with the director, designers, and actors to help them create and maintain a conceptual approach to a production. And lest these descriptions sound too lofty or expansive, here's one more to bring us up short: "Dramaturg: German for smart ass." Students will learn about the dramaturg's role through readings, practices and class visits from dramaturgs, directors, designers, and actors.